On January 8, 2026 Topos Bio, a biotechnology company pioneering AI-driven drug discovery for intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs), reported the company emerged from stealth with $10.5M in seed funding from Boldstart, Threshold, and Neo, with participation from notable angel investors including Dara Khosrowshahi (CEO of Uber) and Naveen Rao (CEO of Unconventional AI). The company is also releasing a technology report demonstrating state-of-the-art performance of its AI model on this challenging protein class.

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The Problem: Drugging the Undruggable
Traditional drug discovery relies on the "lock-and-key" model: proteins fold into stable 3D structures, and drugs are designed to fit precisely into their binding pockets. Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) break this paradigm entirely. Rather than adopting a single fixed shape, IDPs rapidly fluctuate through many different conformations. Without stable binding pockets, traditional drugs have nowhere to anchor. Current computational tools fail here because they predict static structures, not dynamic ensembles of constantly shifting shapes. This leaves roughly one-third of the human proteome – including the primary drivers of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and many aggressive cancers – effectively undruggable by conventional methods.

"Disordered proteins represent one of the last major frontiers in drug discovery – they’re central to devastating diseases but nearly impossible to target with existing methods," said Ryan Zarcone, co-founder and CEO of Topos Bio. "Our platform tackles this by modeling protein dynamics as ensembles rather than static structures. This approach enables rational drug design and opens up an entirely new category of previously undruggable biology."

Topos Bio’s Solution: Frontier AI for disordered proteins
Topos Bio has developed an AI-native integrated discovery platform specifically designed for intrinsically disordered proteins. The company’s AI models generate ensembles that capture how these proteins fluctuate through millions of conformations, then identify binding opportunities within these dynamic structures. Using generative chemistry, the platform designs small molecules optimized to modulate these disordered regions. An integrated wet lab validates and refines these predictions, generating experimental data that continuously improves model accuracy and expands the platform’s capabilities. The company’s initial programs focus on neurodegenerative disorders, followed by oncology and metabolic diseases.

Alongside the announcement, Topos Bio released its first technical report detailing the development and validation behind Topos-1, its foundation model for intrinsically disordered proteins. Across a broad benchmarking suite, Topos-1 outperformed every leading protein foundation model, including AlphaFold, Chai, and Boltz.

"We invested in Topos at inception because Amir and Ryan can solve a fundamental computational problem that’s blocking progress on many of medicine’s most important targets," said Ellen Chisa, Partner at Boldstart. "No one else has the AI and wet lab infrastructure to model disordered proteins, and a reliable model unlocks therapeutic opportunities that no one else can access."

Strategic Collaboration with Gladstone Institutes
To validate its platform in established disease models, Topos Bio is partnering with Gladstone Institutes. The collaboration will focus on discovering novel modulators for α-synuclein, a disordered protein central to Parkinson’s disease pathology.

Steven Finkbeiner, MD, PhD, Director of Gladstone’s Center for Systems and Therapeutics said: "This partnership embodies the spirit of translational collaboration. By combining advanced imaging and disease modeling from our lab with Topos Bio’s novel computational methods, we’re taking a powerful step toward tackling intrinsically disordered proteins, one of the greatest frontiers in neurodegenerative disease biology."

(Press release, Topos Bio, JAN 8, 2026, View Source [SID1234663735])

On January 8, 2026 Allogene Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALLO), a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering the development of allogeneic CAR T (AlloCAR T) products for cancer and autoimmune disease, reported 2026 as a program-defining year for allogeneic CAR T, with multiple first-half clinical readouts expected to test, and potentially validate, whether off-the-shelf CAR T can be delivered at biologic-like scale, in real-world settings, across oncology and autoimmune disease.

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After nearly eight years of platform development and treatment of more than 200 patients across six clinical studies, Allogene has built an off-the-shelf CAR T platform designed to deliver clinical utility, broad patient access, predictable manufacturing, and scalable economics which are core requirements for cell therapy to move beyond a bespoke process toward routine medical practice.

"We believe 2026 is a program-defining year for allogeneic CAR T and Allogene with value-defining readouts and clinical maturity unmatched in the allogeneic field," said David Chang, M.D., Ph.D., President, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Allogene. "With multiple first-half clinical milestones, we aim to demonstrate that CAR T can be delivered at biologic-like scale in real-world settings."

A Biologic-Like CAR T Platform Built for Real-World Demand
The Company’s off-the-shelf approach is purpose-built seeking to deliver the attributes required for sustainable growth and broad patient access, including:

Rapid, on-demand availability
Consistent, predictable product performance
Simplified administration compatible with outpatient use and deployment beyond academic centers into community settings
Manufacturing scalability of approximately 30,000 – 60,000+ doses annually
Efficient cost-of-goods profile (<$10K – 20K/dose)

Together, these attributes will position Allogene’s platform to support broad deployment across hematologic malignancies, autoimmune disease, and solid tumors – enabling CAR T therapy to reach patients earlier, more reliably, and in care settings where most patients are treated.

Cema-Cel: Giving LBCL Patients a Second Chance at First-Line Success
Allogene’s lead program, cemacabtagene ansegedleucel (cema-cel), is being evaluated in the pivotal Phase 2 ALPHA3 trial, a randomized study designed to test whether early, MRD-guided consolidation with cema-cel can prevent recurrence of large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL).

ALPHA3 seamlessly integrates cema-cel as a "7th cycle" of first-line therapy, without altering existing first-line treatment workflows, enabling early, MRD-guided treatment intervention for patients at high risk of relapse. The trial is enrolling patients across both academic and community cancer centers to improve patient access as the majority of LBCL patients are treated in the community cancer setting in the US.

An early Q2 2026 interim futility analysis focused on MRD clearance represents the first program-defining test of whether early, MRD-guided allogeneic CAR T can prevent recurrence of lymphoma. A 25–30% improvement in MRD clearance versus observation could signal one of the most meaningful advances in LBCL since the introduction of rituximab, based on historical benchmarks and growing data linking MRD clearance to long-term outcomes.

ALLO-329: Purpose-Built Allogeneic CAR T for Autoimmune Disease with Built-In Lymphodepletion
ALLO-329 is a next-generation dual-targeted CD19/CD70 AlloCAR T incorporating Allogene’s proprietary Dagger technology, which provides built-in, targeted lymphodepletion by selectively depleting cells in the patient that are responsible for rejecting AlloCAR T products: activated CD70-positive T cells.

This approach could reduce or eliminate the need for conventional cytotoxic lymphodepletion and significantly expand access, especially for:

Younger patients and women of child-bearing age for whom cytotoxic lymphodepletion is problematic
Settings where rheumatologists, not oncologists, are the primary treating physicians
Patients with moderate disease where a streamlined treatment could improve adoption

The Phase 1 RESOLUTION trial, a 3+3 dose escalation study, is enrolling patients across multiple autoimmune indications, including systemic lupus erythematosus, lupus nephritis, scleroderma, and inflammatory myositis. The trial plans to test up to four cell dose levels from a starting cell dose of 20 million CAR T cells in two parallel cohorts (one with a low intensity lymphodepletion and one with no lymphodepletion).

Initial proof-of-concept data are expected by the end of 1H 2026. Expected to be included in the initial data release are early clinical outcome and supporting translational data covering disease-related biomarkers, CAR T expansion, and immune reconstitution from the first dose level (20 million CAR T cells) cohorts.

If successful, ALLO-329 could open one of the largest new markets in cell therapy, where scalable manufacturing, reduced toxicity, and accessibility to rheumatologists become critical competitive differentiators.

ALLO-316: TRAVERSE Trial Establishes CAR T Potential in Solid Tumors
ALLO-316 has demonstrated early, durable responses in heavily pretreated patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC), representing one of the first credible signals that CAR T – autologous or allogeneic – may deliver meaningful benefit in solid tumors. The Phase 1 trial demonstrated:

Robust CAR T cell expansion following standard Flu/Cy-based lymphodepletion, providing proof-of-concept for the Dagger technology platform
31% confirmed ORR with a single ALLO-316 dose1 in patients with high CD70 expression, which represents ~2/3 of clear cell RCC
All responses were durable beyond 6 months after ALLO-316 with no further treatment2
The Company continues pathway exploration for its continued development

"Each of our programs represents a different frontier where our products can change the trajectory of disease," said Zachary Roberts, M.D., Ph.D., Executive Vice President of Research and Development and Chief Medical Officer. "Cema-cel has the potential to reshape first-line lymphoma treatment by reaching patients destined to suffer a cancer recurrence before they relapse. ALLO-329 is designed to bring CAR T into the autoimmune setting with a therapy that is scalable, precise, and potentially deliverable without traditional lymphodepletion. And ALLO-316 has shown promising activity in a metastatic solid tumor context – something many considered unattainable for cell therapy. What these programs collectively demonstrate is that allogeneic CAR T is no longer a theoretical platform. It is a clinical reality advancing across multiple major therapeutic areas."

Cash Runway into 2H 2027
The Company continues to expect its cash runway to extend into the second half of 2027, excluding any impact from potential business development activities.

Together, these catalysts position Allogene to enter 2026 with an increasingly differentiated platform, strengthening fundamentals and the potential to reshape multiple high-value therapeutic categories through scalable, real-world allogeneic CAR T.

(Press release, Allogene, JAN 8, 2026, View Source [SID1234661845])

On January 8, 2026 Orion Corporation (Orion Pharma) reported initiation of a Phase 2 trial evaluating ODM-212, a potential best-in-class, oral pan-TEAD inhibitor, as a monotherapy in malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) and epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE), which are rare and difficult to treat cancers. The Phase 2 study is designed to further evaluate the efficacy, safety, dose and tolerability of ODM-212 in a patient population with significant unmet need where current treatment options are limited and outcomes remain poor. The first patient in the study was treated in December 2025.

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The TEADES trial is a Phase 2 multi-center, open-label study that will enroll approximately 300 patients with MPM, EHE or other solid tumors with dysfunction in Hippo pathway. The trial will include patients who have progressed after receiving standard treatments and have no further treatment options. The primary endpoints of the study are safety and tolerability with secondary endpoints including Overall Response Rate, Progression Free Survival and Overall Survival. This is a global trial conducted at leading oncology centers in the US and Europe.

"Treating the first patient in this Phase 2 study represents an important milestone for ODM-212 clinical development program and more importantly for patients," said Praveen Aanur, MD, MPH, MBA, Chief Medical Officer, Oncology Therapy Area, Orion Pharma. "The encouraging Phase 1 results demonstrated clinical activity as monotherapy with manageable safety profile across different doses and schedules that were tested. We are also excited for the potential of combination treatments with ODM-212 given its mechanism to overcome resistance in standard therapies and emerging therapies in multiple tumor types. Building on the promising Phase 1 data, we are advancing ODM-212 with urgency and scientific rigor as monotherapy and combination therapy for patients across multiple cancers."

Orion is planning to publish results from the phase 1 part of TEADES trial in an upcoming scientific conference in 2026. Preliminary results in EHE patients were presented at the CTOS annual meeting held in Miami, US in November 2025.

About ODM-212
ODM-212 is an oral small-molecule pan-TEAD (Transcriptional Enhanced Associate Domain) inhibitor developed by Orion Pharma. It targets the Hippo signaling pathway, which regulates cell growth and organ size. Dysregulation of this pathway—particularly through YAP/TAZ activation—can lead to uncontrolled tumor growth and resistance to cancer therapies. ODM-212 works by blocking TEAD transcription factors, disrupting YAP-TEAD protein-protein interactions, and inhibiting TEAD auto-palmitoylation, which is essential for TEAD activity.

About Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma
Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare and aggressive cancer that originates in the pleura—the thin membrane lining the lungs and chest wall. It accounts for about 80–90% of all mesothelioma cases and is strongly linked to asbestos exposure. Current treatments mainly include chemotherapy and immunotherapy.

About Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma
Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma (EHE) is an ultra-rare vascular tumor or abnormality that arises from the cells lining the blood vessels. It is estimated that less than one per million people are living with this rare cancer. Currently there is no standard treatment for EHE.

(Press release, Orion, JAN 8, 2026, View Source [SID1234661861])

On January 8, 2026 858 Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track designation to ETX-19477, the company’s internally discovered PARG inhibitor. The designation has been granted for the treatment of adult patients with BRCA-mutated, platinum-resistant, high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC).

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"Patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer have a poor prognosis, and treatment options remain extremely limited, highlighting a substantial unmet need for new therapies," said Jeffrey Stafford, Ph.D., CEO of 858 Therapeutics. "We are pleased that the FDA has granted Fast Track designation to ETX-19477 and we are committed to working closely with the FDA to accelerate its development. This designation was based on preclinical data and emerging clinical data from our ongoing Phase 1/2 trial of ETX-19477, including anti-tumor activity at tolerable doses."

FDA Fast Track status is designed to facilitate the development and expedite the review of new therapies that are intended to treat serious conditions with unmet medical need. Under the Fast Track designation, the ETX-19477 development program will have access to more frequent interactions with the FDA and may be eligible for accelerated approval and/or priority review if certain criteria are met.

ETX-19477 is being evaluated in an ongoing Phase 1/2, open-label, multicenter study in patients with advanced solid tumors, designed to assess safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and preliminary anti-tumor activity. The trial is currently enrolling patients in Phase 1 backfill cohorts at multiple dose levels and enriching for select solid tumors harboring BRCA mutations, including HGSOC.

About ETX-19477

Poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase (PARG) is an enzyme that catalyzes the removal of poly-ADP-ribose (PAR) chains from proteins during the DNA damage response. PARG inhibition leads to selective cell death in tumors with underlying replication fork defects, including BRCAm tumors, through a mechanism distinct from PARP inhibition. ETX-19477 is an oral, potent, and selective PARG inhibitor that shows robust preclinical activity in mouse models of ovarian, breast, and gastric cancers. 858 Therapeutics is evaluating ETX-19477 in a Phase 1/2 study in patients with advanced solid tumors at multiple sites in the U.S. For more information on the Phase 1/2 study, please visit: View Source

(Press release, 858 Therapeutics, JAN 8, 2026, View Source [SID1234661877])

On January 8. 2026 ALX Oncology Holdings Inc. ("ALX Oncology," Nasdaq: ALXO), a clinical-stage biotechnology company advancing a pipeline of novel therapies designed to treat cancer and extend patients’ lives, reported that the first patient has been dosed in the Company’s Phase 2 ASPEN-09-Breast trial evaluating its investigational CD47-inhibitor evorpacept. This trial will evaluate the combination of evorpacept with trastuzumab and physicians’ choice of chemotherapy in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer whose disease has progressed after ENHERTU (T-DXd).

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Additionally, after successfully clearing the second dose cohort, the Phase 1 trial evaluating the Company’s epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeted antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) ALX2004 for the treatment of EGFR-expressing solid tumors has begun enrolling patients in the third dose cohort at 4mg/kg. No dose-limiting toxicities were observed in the prior two dose cohorts.

"We are extremely pleased with the progress we are making on these clinical trials," said Jason Lettmann, Chief Executive Officer at ALX Oncology. "We believe both evorpacept and ALX2004 have the potential to fill significant gaps in the standard of care for many types of cancer."

Evorpacept is the first CD47 inhibitor to show substantial tumor response and a well-tolerated safety profile in a randomized trial. Data from this prior gastric cancer trial, ASPEN-06, show that evorpacept demonstrated benefit across all efficacy parameters in patients with HER2-positive disease and high CD47 expression levels. Research has demonstrated that increased CD47 expression is correlated with poor patient outcomes in many tumor types, including breast cancer.

The Phase 2 ASPEN-09-Breast clinical trial (NCT07007559) is a single-arm, open-label, multicenter study evaluating evorpacept plus trastuzumab and physicians’ choice of chemotherapy in 80 patients with HER2-positive breast cancer previously treated with ENHERTU (fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki), which was recently approved as first-line therapy. The trial will utilize participants’ CD47 expression levels as a biomarker to assess responses.

The primary endpoint of the trial is overall response rate (ORR) in patients who are confirmed HER2 positive by circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA). Key secondary endpoints are ORR in the HER2 ctDNA+ subpopulation by level of CD47 expression, clinical benefit rate (CBR), duration of response (DOR), progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS), and safety. ORR in the HER2 ctDNA-negative subpopulation is an exploratory endpoint. ALX Oncology anticipates sharing interim data from the trial in Q3 2026.

The ALX2004 Phase 1 clinical trial (NCT07085091) is a first-in-human, open-label, multicenter trial evaluating ALX2004 in participants with advanced or metastatic select EGFR-expressing solid tumors. The study consists of a Phase 1a dose escalation portion followed by optional dose exploration, and a Phase 1b dose expansion. The dose escalation portion of the trial is enrolling patients with previously treated advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and colorectal cancer (CRC).

"Preclinical data suggest that ALX2004 has the potential to overcome the toxicity challenges associated with earlier generation EGFR-targeted ADCs," said Lettmann. "It is encouraging that, after clearing the second dose cohort in our Phase 1 trial at 2mg/kg, we are able to double the dosage to 4mg/kg in the third cohort."

ALX Oncology expects to provide an initial safety update from the Phase 1 ALX2004 trial during 1H 2026.

(Press release, ALX Oncology, JAN 8, 2026, View Source [SID1234661846])